What is tomato paste in British?

June 24, 2021 9:53 AM

I'm following an American recipe that calls for half a can of tomato paste (for curry). I never really see tomato paste in British shops -- would this be equivalent to half a tube of tomato purée? A tin of tomatoes? Or something else?
posted by iamsuper to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

It's tomato puree. I usually use this one but it's just an example
posted by hazyjane at 9:59 AM on June 24, 2021 [8 favorites]

Yes, it's tomato puree, and you can buy small cans of it in any supermarket, e.g. Sainsburys.
posted by essexjan at 10:02 AM on June 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

What they said-- if there's any difference in puree vs. paste, it'll be water content only, so keep that in mind. I'd guess that a curry has a step where you add the paste directly to an open spot in the pan, to cook it directly, and that step may take longer than the recipe says (or shorter) to get the color change (deeper red) because of water content being different. From what I'm reading, British Tomato Puree is thicker than American Puree, but not as thick as paste.

The tomato paste cans are (*checks kitchen*) 6 ounces, or 180mL, and has less water than your puree, so I would add around 100mL of your puree (half a can = 3oz = 90mL, plus 10mL to account for additional water) and cook it until it's drier-looking and deep red... or don't, because other ingredients can't wait, and you're going to add some wet stuff later anyway.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:12 AM on June 24, 2021 [4 favorites]

here in the US tomato puree would have more water in it than paste and ive never seen puree sold in tubes. cans of paste are hard to use bc most recipes only call for a couple tablespoons (or the half can in your case) and what do you do with the rest? the tubes are more convenient for using the small amounts. if its in a tube id assume it was the equivalent of our tomato paste which is sometimes labeled "double concentrated" but is just the same stuff with more water cooked out.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 10:13 AM on June 24, 2021 [2 favorites]

Tomato paste is cooked down and more concentrated than a purée, so you’ll want to find the thickest version you can, or else adjust for the moisture content. (On preview: what they said)
posted by Ryon at 10:14 AM on June 24, 2021

I agree with the first two comments above, the equivalent to US tomato paste in a British shop is tomato purée (tomato purée sold in the US has more water than the purée sold in a British shop). In addition, when a US recipe calls for "half a can" of tomato paste they are referring to the US "standard" 6 oz. can (170 g), so half a can would be 85 g.
posted by RichardP at 10:15 AM on June 24, 2021 [5 favorites]

agreeing that for a curry in particular this is something you should just feel your way through by adjusting the other wet ingredients - Nik Sharma is one of my fave writers of indian-(american?) dishes - hes got a unique aesthetic shaped by being born in india but living in california and his background as a scientist. he was the first person i saw who recommended using tomato paste(puree) in recipes since you are usually supposed to/traditionally add chopped tomatoes in most cases and cook them down to concentrate the flavors, but by starting with the paste youre already well on the way to the flavor concentration and dont have to spend you time doing it.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 10:15 AM on June 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

A typical full can of US tomato paste is 6oz or 170g, so 85g of some kind of reduced tomato product. I think passata would work fine - it's curry, a bit extra liquid isn't going to be noticed if you don't want to cook it down.

If you can get the Italian-style paste in a tube, 85g of that would be the same thing.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:16 AM on June 24, 2021

bc most recipes only call for a couple tablespoons (or the half can in your case) and what do you do with the rest?

You freeze it in one-tablespoon dollops on some cling wrap, then wrap those pieces up individually, and store them in a jar in the freezer for later use. (I found the tubes leaked, so I don't like them.)
posted by FencingGal at 10:28 AM on June 24, 2021 [7 favorites]

most recipes only call for a couple tablespoons (or the half can in your case) and what do you do with the rest?

Pop it in the (large, American-style) fridge with a little plastic wrap on top and then pitch it if I don't use it in a couple of weeks.

A full little can is about the amount you might want to add to a pot of chili or beef barley soup.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 11:31 AM on June 24, 2021

You can use them interchangeably without trouble in my experience (half American /half British - live in the UK) - especially in curries with strong flavours anyway!
posted by sedimentary_deer at 12:01 PM on June 24, 2021 [1 favorite]

Just adding to the chorus of "tomato puree". That's what we use here.
posted by ihaveyourfoot at 3:06 PM on June 24, 2021

You freeze it in one-tablespoon dollops on some cling wrap

(or in an ice cube tray and freezer-bag the cubes, like pesto.)
posted by away for regrooving at 10:25 AM on June 26, 2021